Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug;47(8):1919-1929.
doi: 10.1007/s00268-023-07004-6. Epub 2023 Apr 17.

The History and Evolution of the West African College of Surgeons/Jos University Teaching Hospital Trauma Management Course

Augustine Z Sule  1 , Barnabas T Alayande  2   3   4 , Emmanuel O Ojo  1 , Femi O Taiwo  5 , Robert R Riviello  6   7   8 , Lohfa B Chirdan  1 , Emmanuel R Ezeome  9 , Philip M Mshelbwala  10 , Benjamin T Ugwu  1 , King-David T Yawe  10
Affiliations

The History and Evolution of the West African College of Surgeons/Jos University Teaching Hospital Trauma Management Course

Augustine Z Sule et al. World J Surg. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Inadequate trauma care training opportunities exist in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Jos University Teaching Hospital and the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) have synergized, over the past 15 years, to introduce a yearly, certified, multidisciplinary Trauma Management Course. We explore the history and evolution of this course.

Methods: A desk review of course secretariat documents, registration records, schedules, pre- and post-course test records, post-course surveys, and account books complemented by organizer interviews was carried out to elaborate the evolution of the Trauma Management Course.

Results: The course was started as a local Continuing Medical Education program in 2005 in response to recurring cycles of violence and numerous mass casualty situations. Collaborations with WACS followed, with inclusion of the course in the College's yearly calendar from 2010. Multidisciplinary faculty teach participants the concepts of trauma care through didactic lectures, group sessions, and hands-on simulation within a one-week period. From inception, there has been a 100% growth in lecture content (from 15 to 30 lectures) and in multidisciplinary attendance (from 23 to 133 attendees). Trainees showed statistically significant knowledge gain yearly, with a mean difference ranging from 10.1 to 16.1% over the past 5 years. Future collaborations seek to expand the course and position it as a catalyst for regional emergency medical services and trauma registries.

Conclusions: Multidisciplinary trauma management training is important for expanding holistic trauma capacity within the West African sub-region. The course serves as an example for Low- and Middle-Income contexts. Similar contextualized programs should be considered to strengthen trauma workforce development.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing funding, employment, financial or non-financial interest directly or indirectly related to this manuscript to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographical Spread of West African College of Surgeons Member Countries
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Stacked bar chart showing multidisciplinary learner participation in the Trauma Management Course by year. Years selected based on data availability
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Meara JG, Leather AJ, Hagander L, et al. Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving health, welfare, and economic development. The Lancet. 2015;158(1):3–6. - PubMed
    1. GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020;396(10258):1204–1222. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30925-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Farmer PE, Kim JY. Surgery and global health: a view from beyond the OR. World J Surg. 2008;32(4):533–536. doi: 10.1007/s00268-008-9525-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ekeke ON, Okonta KE. Trauma: a major cause of death among surgical inpatients of a Nigerian tertiary hospital. Pan Afr Med J. 2017;28:6. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2017.28.6.10690. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Collaborative E-T, Odland ML, Abdul-Latif AM, et al. Equitable access to quality trauma systems in low-income and middle-income countries: assessing gaps and developing priorities in Ghana, Rwanda and South Africa. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7(4):e008256. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008256. - DOI - PMC - PubMed